Abstract
Surprisingly few studies have explored the intuitive connection between self-control and weight loss. We tracked participants' diet, exercise and weight loss during a 12-week weight loss program. Participants higher in self-control weighed less and reported exercising more than their lower self-control counterparts at baseline. Independent of baseline differences, individuals high in dispositional self-control ate fewer calories overall and fewer calories from fat, burned marginally more calories through exercise, and lost more weight during the program than did those lower in self-control. These data suggest that trait self-control is, indeed, an important predictor of health behaviors.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 750-759 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2011 |
Keywords
- Body Mass Index
- control
- diet
- eating
- eating behavior
- exercise
- health behavior
- health psychology
- obesity
- overweight